1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of surgery. More particularly, the invention relates to surgical instruments that facilitate the performance of surgery with less resistance to the movement of the surgical instruments during the performance of surgical procedures.
2. The Relevant Technology
As is known to those skilled in the art, modern surgical techniques often employ radio frequency (RF) power to cut tissue and coagulate bleeding encountered in performing surgical procedures. For a historical perspective and details of such techniques, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,842, issued to D'Amelio et al., and entitled “Electroprobe Apparatus,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by this reference.
Electrosurgery is widely used and offers many advantages including the use of a single surgical instrument for both cutting and coagulation. A monopolar electrosurgical generator system has an active electrode, such as in the form of an electrosurgical instrument having a hand piece and a conductive electrode or tip, that is applied by the surgeon to the patient at the surgical site to perform surgery, and a return electrode to connect the patient back to the generator. The electrode or tip of the electrosurgical instrument is small at the point of contact with the patient to produce an RF current with a high current density in order to produce a surgical effect of cutting or coagulating tissue. The return electrode carries the same RF current provided to the electrode or tip of the electrosurgical instrument, thus providing a path back to the electrosurgical generator.
Some active electrodes are modified with a protective sheath which prevents inadvertent contact between portions of the electrode and tissue, limits depth of penetration into the tissue, and can also provide a tighter fit when the electrode is engaged in the electrosurgical pencil. The distal end of the protective sheath in past configurations is not well suited for electrosurgical incisions. Incisions with an electrosurgical instrument are made on an angle due to the natural position in the surgeon's hand, which causes the edge of the protective sheath to engage the tissue in such a way that friction is created between the sheath and the tissue. This friction creates drag that distorts the tissue being addressed and results in bunching of the tissue and distortion of the incision. Such distortion often takes the form of a scalloped edge or beveled edge that makes reaproximation of the tissue edges during suturing difficult and results in poor cosmetic outcomes. A precise incision is particularly important where the skin is thinner and more delicate, such as on the face and around the eyes. Drag also leads to fatigue in a surgeon's hand, a major contributor to repetitive use injuries. Fatigue also contributes to loss of fine motor control and subsequently diminishes the surgeon's ability to operate as precisely as desired.
Therefore, it would be an advantage to have an electrode with an insulative sleeve that provides a desired insulative barrier between a portion of the electrode and the patient's tissue, while at the same time limiting the amount of drag or resistance resulting from tissue getting caught on the leading edge of the insulative sleeve. The subject matter claimed herein, however, is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.